


I Found My Way (I'm Coming Home)

by Kufikiria



Category: NCIS
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Family Reunions, Fluff, Happy Ending, One Shot, POV Nick, Romance, Season/Series 17, Tiva Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21646126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kufikiria/pseuds/Kufikiria
Summary: Tony, Ziva and Tali reunite, which inspires Nick to tell Ellie how he feels.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres, Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 85





	I Found My Way (I'm Coming Home)

**Author's Note:**

> lmao it’s been AGES since i last wrote about ncis and tiva (and i absolutely never wrote about ellick before) but ziva’s return brought me back to this fandom so yeah… i just hope this isn’t too bad nor too ooc i guess???
> 
> pls give me a tiva reunion 2020. and make ellick canon before the show ends or one of them leaves lol.

Of course, the first words that come out of his mouth are about his daughter.

“Where’s Tali?” he asks, voice hoarse and his blood-stained face distorting a little in pain when Nick and Ellie reach for his wrists to untie him.

They should have expected such a question, yet it still makes them freeze in their movements. Silence falls upon the cold dark room as Nick shares a look with his partner, reading in her eyes the same hesitation he’s feeling inside. Should they tell Tony the truth? After all, they’re still unsure whether or not he _knows_ — and if he doesn’t, it’s not really up to them to tell him.

Especially not now, when he’s just been rescued from a life-threatening situation. This is too huge a bomb to drop on him like that.

“She’s safe,” Ellie eventually assures. Nick catches how the other man’s features instantly soften as he lets out a sigh. “She’s with, uh…” she goes on then pauses.

She glances back at Nick with a look that calls for support, but he only shrugs apologetically in return. She’s on her own with this one; he can’t help her out. He doesn’t know Tony like she does. While it’s the first time he’s meeting the man (and what an ‘encounter’ it is), Ellie worked with him for a while. She was there when he learned about Ziva’s supposed death — she must know better than him how much they should (or should not) tell him, then.

Plus, she does know Ziva better than him too.

Thankfully for them, Tony seems to read right through the awkward atmosphere that fell between the two of them as he surprisingly finishes Ellie’s answer for her.

“… _Ziva_ ,” he says the woman’s name with a distant, dreamy smile forming on his face.

_So maybe he already knows._ Nick can’t retain the relieved sigh that escapes his mouth at the other man’s words. “So you know she’s alive?!”

“I do.” Tony nods.

Once again, Nick seeks for his partner’s eyes as they exchange a look in understanding. She’s quick to bring her attention back to Tony, though. Nick can tell she’s about to say something, but she’s cut before she can even fully open her mouth by the sound of the door suddenly opening behind them. Tony’s face lights up at the sight of whoever entered, and his voice echoes through the thick walls while the two agents turn to look at their new guest.

“Hi boss! Long time no see.”

* * *

“Daddy! You’re here!”

As soon as she sees him coming inside the conference room, Tali jumps off her chair and runs towards her father, throwing herself into his arms. Tony welcomes her joyfully, trying as best as he can to hide his pain as he holds his daughter close to his heart and plants a kiss in her hair. Still, while watching them from afar, Nick can see him wince a little.

As he looks at the pair with a small smile on his face, he can’t help but think that this is such a cute reunion to witness; some part of the job that somehow makes up for all the horrors he may see otherwise. They caught the bad guys. All threats lurking upon Ziva and her loved ones have been neutralized – _for good_ , this time. Now’s the time for some well-deserved happy ending.

Nick lets his eyes wander around the room, finding Ziva’s silhouette. She’s standing a few feet behind with tears in her eyes. She can’t seem able (nor willing, anyway) to tear her gaze away from her child and her father, as if hypnotized by the scene happening in front of her. Which makes sense, of course. It’s been years since she last saw them (at least from this close), and this moment right here is the reason why she kept fighting for so long. So that she could reunite with these two people she holds so dearly to her heart, once she’s sure they’re all safe and sound.

(Which they are now.)

The hug lasts for a few more seconds, as it seems that neither Tony nor Tali wants to let go of the other. The little girl is finally the first to draw away, a new spark shining inside her eyes when she looks at her father. She starts to fidget inside his embrace, unable to remain still anymore as she turns around and points towards her mother with a huge grin lighting up her face.

“Daddy, look who’s here too!” she exclaims excitedly.

Silence fills the room once again after that, while Tony and Ziva’s eyes meet for the first time in years. Even without truly knowing them, Nick can tell he’s witnessing a very crucial moment — one could even say a _miraculous_ one. Tony lets his daughter down, yet doesn’t completely let go of her as he intertwines his fingers with hers. He then takes a few steps towards Ziva, with Tali dutifully following him.

The woman, on the other hand, doesn’t make a move — she looks almost paralyzed, staring at her lost love without a word.

“Tony…” She’s surprisingly the first one to talk, saying his name in a low shaking voice. A tear rolls down her cheek, one that Tony is quick to remove with the thumb of his free hand.

The atmosphere is heavy between them, full of words unsaid and years that went by. Nick can feel it even from where he stands and, as he looks at them, he suddenly realizes that he’s holding his breath while he waits for the man’s answer, as if _his_ own life depended on it.

As if he’s the one reuniting with the love of his life.

(This thought makes him shoot a quick glance in Ellie’s direction, who seems just as affected by the scene as he is, with salty pearls prickling inside her own eyes and making them glow.)

“Hello, sweetcheeks.” Nick hears rather than sees the smile on Tony’s face as he greets Ziva and just like that, thanks to those two simple words, the room seems to light up. Even Ziva’s tense body softens, melting completely when Tony opens his arms as an invitation for her to come into. Tali is soon to join in, more than happy to find a place sandwiched in-between her two parents.

It doesn’t take long after that for the many tears to freely flow down Ziva’s face.

Once again, Nick finds himself turning to look at his coworkers, who are all watching the scene in a religious silence. One in particular catches his attention as his eyes linger on Ellie for a beat too long. His heart aches in his chest as he studies her — this little family reunion happening in front of him is somehow bringing back all the feelings he tried so hard to repress behind talks of _overprotectiveness_ and _you’re like a sister to me_ , replaced with Ziva’s voice instead.

_Don’t be a wuss. Tell her how you feel._

He can almost picture her scolding him about how repressing things costed her and Tony so many years of their lives — years they’ll unfortunately never get back — and how he shouldn’t make the same mistake as they did.

Ellie must sense his gaze on her, because she eventually turns her head to look at him as well. She shoots him a soft smile that instantly warms up his heart as she studies him with her eyes piercing right through his core. They remain like this, staring at each other with an intense look on both their faces, for a few seconds before McGee comes and breaks the moment.

“We should go. Give them some privacy,” he whispers to their ears, nodding towards the door. Ellie breaks contact then, quickly following their coworker outside.

As he leaves the room as well and carefully closes the door behind, Nick meets Ziva’s eyes for a split second. She shoots him a knowing smile before holding onto Tony and Tali a little tighter.

_Don’t be a wuss. Tell her how you feel._

* * *

Nick is lost deep in his thoughts as he walks towards the elevator with Ellie by his side, both of them ready to go home after a day so full of many emotions for the whole team. Everyone else has already left the building, except for the small DiNozzo-David family, who are still in the conference room — Tali’s parents have a lot to unpack, after all.

Quite a few years to catch up on, too.

“Do you think they’re gonna be alright?” Ellie’s voice suddenly takes him out of his reverie when they stop in front of the elevator and wait for the doors to open. Her gaze is lingering up in the direction of the closed room; Nick can make up some concern shining in there. For a second, he lets his own eyes wander towards the room as well before bringing them back onto her colleague.

Images of the way they left the family — holding tight onto each other — come back to his mind.

“I think they will,” he says. “It’s probably gonna take some time, but they seem to really love each other.”

At least, he wishes so. Even though he doesn’t know Tony and Ziva that much, he still heard stories about them and all they had to overcome throughout the years. Plus, Nick remembers Jimmy’s tales of how their story went wrong, and he would love for it to finally turn right.

He would love to know that office romances _aren’t_ doomed and can turn out to be good.

_Great_ , even.

Ellie doesn’t say anything in return at first, seemingly lost in her own head. It’s only once they’re inside the elevator and the doors have closed in front of them that she talks again.

“I hope they will. After everything they’ve been through… they deserve to be happy.”

“Yeah…” he trails off and after that, another wave of silence falls upon them. It doesn’t take long before Nick’s thoughts come and invide his mind once again.

_Don’t be a wuss. Tell her how you feel._

With Ziva’s voice ringing in his ears, he can’t stand still anymore, shooting small glances towards his partner as the elevator goes down and down. Soon, they will have to go their separate ways for yet another night. And he wants that even less than usual, after the day they had.

He thinks about McGee, who hurried home to hug his own wife and kids. He thinks about Tony and Ziva and their daughter, reuniting after so long apart.

He thinks about Ellie, and how important she’s grown to him ever since they met. He, too, wants his chance at a happy ending. Which he won’t get for sure if he stays silent.

If he doesn’t act on his feelings, just like neither Tony nor Ziva did for years. That’s probably what she wanted to warn him about with her words. She better than anyone would know.

Maybe she’s right, then. Maybe it’s time to stop running. To stop hiding.

Nick takes a deep breath and, taking advantage of the rush of adrenaline currently coursing through his veins, he stops the elevator. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest as Ellie frowns in confusion.

“Why did you do that?!” she asks.

He stares deep into her eyes as he gathers all of his courage. _Don’t be a wuss. Tell her how you feel._

“There’s… something I need to tell you,” he blurts it out, ready to finally pour out his heart.

* * *

(Ziva was right, in the end. Of course, she was. Telling Ellie about his true feelings that night was the best decision Nick could have ever made — and he doesn’t waste any time to let the woman know about it, when he RSVPs to her and Tony’s wedding invite a few months later, saying that he would happily come to celebrate their union with the other agent as his _date_.)

**Author's Note:**

> i didn’t want to get too lost into this and we had enough pain to last a lifetime so let’s just say this happy reunion is just tony being relieved to see ziva alive and well before they have The Talk where they need to figure things out x)


End file.
